Gators In Troubled Waters

Uf Starts Sec Play Minus Top Scorer Walsh, Among Other Concerns.

January 7, 2005|By Jeff Darlington Gainesville Bureau

GAINESVILLE — Florida coach Billy Donovan sent out the warning long ago. He didn't make any dramatic predictions, didn't set any outlandish goals.

"What do I think?" Donovan said shortly before the season. "I don't really know what to think. I don't think you can truly find out what you're dealing with as a coach until you get hit with some form of adversity during the course of the season."

The Gators haven't even hit the Southeastern Conference schedule, and their annual bout with adversity has kicked into overdrive. Consider the news from the past week, all on the eve of Florida's first SEC game against Arkansas in Gainesville on Saturday:

Leading scorer Matt Walsh will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a severe high-ankle sprain.

Starting center Adrian Moss continues to suffer from back problems that have hindered his production.

Florida lost to Florida State in its first true road game Sunday, marking the first time the Gators lost more than two pre-conference games since 1997.

While Donovan never anticipated pre-conference perfection, the first half of Florida's year hasn't exactly unfolded as most players planned.

"Looking at the schedule before the season, I don't think I would have expected to lose to Miami or Florida State," center David Lee said. "We knew Louisville was going to be a tough game, but we've dropped some games early here."

With a 1-3 record against major-conference opponents, the Gators have had just one big win this season -- a decisive 84-66 victory over Providence. But that comes with a caveat: UF beat Providence in Miami the day after Providence played in New York.

So how can the Gators survive a grueling conference schedule, especially without their leading scorer for a month?

"We're not more talented than any other team in this league," said Moss, who will play as much as his back will allow. "Talent-wise, it's an even playing field. It's the team that wants to win the most, do the little things, create their own energy and win on the road."

That said, there is a solution: Early success in SEC play can cure all the Gators' problems. Four of the first six league games are at home, and none of the six is against what is considered a top-tier team.

But Florida will be relying on an inexperienced batch of freshmen during early portions of league play.

If the Gators can hold on until Walsh recovers, they might be able to survive until the later portions of the schedule. Six of the last 10 conference games are on the road, including matchups against Mississippi State, Kentucky, LSU and South Carolina.

"With or without Matt, every game was going to be a challenge," guard Anthony Roberson said. "We've got four young players contributing a lot to our team, and every game was going to be new to them. Now, we just need to be prepared to play possession after possession. The freshmen are going to grow up fast."

There's one more issue: UF must play with more intensity. That means Lee must find a way to play more aggressively. It also means Florida must find a way to rebound better.

So how can Lee change the way the Gators have fared?

"Sometimes, I'm a victim of trying to be too unselfish and trying to find other guys shots," he said. "This isn't all of a sudden my cue to be Allen Iverson, but at the same time I need to realize I'm a senior."

Because of his young roster, Donovan said he wouldn't be able to alter much of Florida's style as it enters conference play. Instead, he must hope his team plays with more intensity and more desire.

"From this point forward, we're not going to play any more teams that we can simply play well and win," Donovan said. "We can play hard and play well, and still lose every game that we play. We have to play exceptionally well for us to have a chance to win."